University of Michigan study says that love hurts
March 29th, 2011 - 8:42 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattMichigan, Mar 29 (THAINDIAN NEWS) For the first time in history, scientists have been able to prove that love really “hurts”.
Researchers at the University of Michigan carried out the study using state-of-the-art scanners. After the research, the scientists realized that the same area of the brain which is activated when a person experiences sharp pain was the same place that gets activated when one experiences rejection.
The scientists used the test to prove that the age-long notion that love can hurt is not just a metaphor. About 40 volunteers were recruited for the test. The scientists then used an MRI scanner to determine the activity of the brain.
The volunteers were first made to feel some pain using a thermal device that produces heat. The participants were however not burned. Their brain activities were recorded with the scanner and the images were saved. The next step was the most important part.
The researchers showed the pictures of exes of the participants and they were asked to recollect the moments that they did split. The results were stunning.
The researchers when they compared the images realized that the same area of the brain was activated in both instances.
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Tags: brain activities, exes, images, instances, love, metaphor, michigan study, mri scanner, notion, participants, rejection, scanners, scientists, state of the art, time in history, university of michigan, volunteers